City needs safe, functioning shelters

By Veronica Flores-Paniagua - Express-News columnist :
April 10, 2010

I went to the Bexar County Courthouse Friday morning in search of a bogeyman. In the city's effort to close Living Stones Ministries, I found two barb-tongued lawyers, but no bogeyman.

Public suspicion has been rampant, particularly among those who minister to the homeless, that the city's run to court was precipitated by the advent of Haven for Hope.

As Living Stones lawyer Eddie Bravenec noted after Friday's hearing in District Judge Peter Sakai's court, “This place is the same it's been for 12 years. The timing — it's suspicious.”

The timing of the city's petition is, indeed, unfortunate. But there were documented concerns that required authorities' attention. More than 200 police calls to the address since 2005, for one. And, just recently, there were the complaints of a woman who claimed to be a Living Stones resident who went to Christus Santa Rosa Hospital's emergency room March 2 covered in bed bug bites. Her complaints to Metro Health ultimately put Living Stones on the radar of the Dangerous Assessment Response Team.

Not that there wasn't some uncalled-for zeal on the city's part. The suit against the ministry cites “numerous complaints” regarding code compliance. In fairness, it should be noted that documents I saw outlining the code compliance violations largely dealt with exterior problems like overhanging tree limbs.

The ministry, meanwhile, has corrected “immediate” hazards and remains open under a temporary restraining order issued last week.

Some of the public discourse surrounding the city vs. Living Stones necessarily deals with Haven for Hope, which is set to open in coming weeks. Some ministries feel muscled out by the campus, which will shelter about 1,400 people. The action against Living Stones, in addition to city plans to step up enforcement of ordinances governing food preparation and other so-called “public nuisance” ordinances, adds to the perception.

What's lost is the reality that we need functioning and safe shelters to handle the so-called “overflow” from Haven. There are a number of them in San Antonio whose services will continue to be in great demand after Haven opens.

An estimated 1,600 unsheltered homeless people were counted in the annual “point-in-time” count of the homeless earlier this year; 700 of them slept somewhere downtown.

The homeless count also found that another 2,000 people in our community don't have permanent homes. Shelter and hunger are persistent concerns.

Haven's outreach to homeless providers has yielded at least one new, community-led initiative that seeks to build a network among ministries and others who provide services to the homeless. Rather than create new service models, the effort is trying to close information gaps among providers.

City and Haven officials also have been ramping up discussion about how they'll monitor the local mix of housing options.